Coupling device.



S. F. LESLIE.

COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22, 1910. 1 ,027,86 1 Patented May 28, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fnfnlor S. F. LESLIE.

COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 22, 1910.

1,027,86 1 r Patented May 28, 1912.

S. F. LESLIE.

COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22, 1910.

1,027,861 Patented May 28, 1912.

4 SHEETS-S HEB-T 4.

Wlnesses 4 Jrv n for W 'f IWI COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPl-g 60., WASHINGTON, Dc.

IINITED STATES FATE QFFIfiE.

COUPLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28,1912.

Application filed December 22, 1910. Serial 1\To. 598,816.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLVESTER FRANCIS LESLIE, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at Newcastle, in the State of NewSouth Wales, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Coupling Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

Owing to the numerous accidents occurring during the operation ofcoupling and uncoupling railway vehicles it is considered that acoupling device which can be operated from the side of the vehicles willprove of great utility as tending to minimize the damn ger attendantupon the coupling operation.

This invention is devised with the object of obviating this danger andproviding a coupling so arranged that the parts may be coupled togetherfrom the side of the vehicle or track. But in order that my inventionmay be clearly understood I shall now refer to the accompanying drawingsin which Figure 1 is an end perspective view of a truck with themaleportion attached. Fig. 2 is an end perspective view of a truck withthe female portion and operating mechanism attached. Fig. 3 is aperspective view showing two trucks coupled together. Fig. 4 is anenlarged side elevation part section showing the parts uncoupled orready to couple. Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation showing the partscoupled. Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 3 but showing both membersdetachably connected to their respective drawbars and the operatingmechanism provided on the opposing ends of two vehicles. Fig. 7 is asimilar view to Fig. 4 with the additions as in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is asimilar view to Fig. 5 with the additions as in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 9 isan enlarged perspective view showing details of the detachable memberand the construction of the end of the drawbar therefor.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusivez-The yoke 6 of the maleportion is attached to or made integral with the drawbar 7 and isprovided with a solid integral crosspiece 8 designed to take the pull,and a roller 9 designed to roll on the inclined end of the lower femalemember or keeper 10. The keeper 10 is made integral with the drawbar 11and is provided with a pair of lugs 12 between which is pivoted theupper or hook member 13. The hook 13 extends into the slot 1 1 formed inthe lower member,-thereby forming a guard to prevent the yoke memberfrom being accidentally released.

The hook 13 is provided with a tail piece 15 pivotally connected to thetop of the seg-- mental toothed rack 16 which passes ver tically througha slot 22 in the drawbar 11 and gears with the pinion 17 mounted uponthe shaft 18 extending laterally across the vehicle and provided on eachend with a handle 19.

In order to enable the hook 13 to be retained in the open position aratchet wheel 20 is provided near each end of the shaft 1.8 and a pawl21 engages therewith for the purpose mentioned. The pawls on oppositesides of the vehicle are connected by a shaft 27 in order that themechanism may be operated from either side. The rack 16 is re tained ingear with the pinion by a roller 23 mounted in the slot 22.

In Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 the same reference numerals as in the precedingfigures are used to indicate corresponding parts, and in these figures aslight modification is shown. In Figs. 1-5 the coupling members are madein one with the draw bars, but in the modification the ends of the drawbars are provided with a squared portion 25, the coupling members beingindependent thereof and each provided with a squared socket 24 adaptedto receive the squared end of one of the draw bars. IVith thisconstruction the coupling members may be interchanged to avoid reversinga car under circumstances where for instance, two male members wereopposed. Each draw bar is also provided, to the rear of the squared end,with a slot 22 to accommodate the segmental raek. The male member ismade an exact duplicate of the lower jaw or keeper 10 of the femalemember, so that instead of removing the whole coupling, under somecircumstances, the hook jaw member with its segmental rack may beseparated from the lower jaw or keeper and the said lower jaw twistedaround to form a male member 6, the male member being similarly twistedaround and the hook jaw attached thereto, thus forming'a female member.

The squared end of the draw bar may be retained securely in engagementwith the squared socket of a coupling member by a pin 26 passing throughsaid socket and squared end.

As before stated an operating shaft 18 with ratchet 20 and pinion 17 isprovided upon each end of the vehicle in order to permit manipulation ofthe coupling in the changed positions of the members.

The operation of opening the hook is performed by turning the handle 19in the direction indicated by the arrow heads in Figs. 2, 3 and 6 thuslowering the tail piece and raising the hook to the position shown inFigs. and 7. The vehicle carrying the corresponding male member is thenbacked so that the transverse yoke bar i and roller 9 enter the openmouth of the hook. The handle 19 is then reversed and the hook memberclosed, thereby forming an eifective coupling which is easily and safelymanipulated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a couplingdevice, a draw bar having a rigid lower jaw member at the outer endthereof, an upper jaw member having a hooked outer end and pivoted atthe other end to the lower jaw member adjacent to the inner end thereof,and having an upwardly inclined tail piece integral therewith, asegmental rack pivoted at its upper end to the extremity of said tailpiece, a toothed pinion coacting with said rack, means for turning saidpinion thereby opening or closing said upper jaw member, and a linkmember adapted to engage between said jaw members.

2. In a device of the class described, a draw bar having a rigid lowerjaw member at the outer end thereof and a vertical slot inward of saidlower jaw member, a roller journaled within one end of said slot, anupper jaw member having a hooked outer end and pivoted at its inner endto said Copies of this patent may be obtained for a lower aw member nearthe inner end thereof and having an upwardly inclined tail piece, abowed member toothed on its inner surface extending through said slotwith its plain surface contacting said roller and pivoted at itsupper'end to the extremity of said tail piece, a toothed pinion suitablyjournaled below said lower jaw member and engaging said bowed member,means for turning saidpinion, and a rigid link adapted to extend betweensaid jaws and engage said hooked end of the upper jaw member.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a pair ofopposing draw bars, each having a squared end and a vertical guide-slotto the rear of said squared end, a rigid link having a squared socket atone end thereof adapted to receive the squared end of one of the saiddraw bars, a rigid lower jaw member having a squared socket 6 at itsinner end adapted to receive the squared end of the other draw bar, anupper aw member pivoted near its lnner end to said lower jaw member andhaving a hooked outer end adapted to engage said rigid link,

means for swinging-said upper jaw member on its pivot, said meanscomprising as part thereof a segmental rack member depending through avertical guideslot aforesaid, and means for locking said squared ends inengagement with said squared sockets, whereby the coupling members aremade interchangeable on said draw bars.

Signed at Newcastle, N. S. Australia, this day 22nd of October 1910'.

SYLVESTER FRANCIS LESLIE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

